Illinois bowler reaches 50 consecutive appearances at Open Championships
June 07, 2024
LAS VEGAS – John Jerome of Springfield, Illinois, celebrated 50 consecutive years of participation at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships during his trip to Las Vegas at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
The 68-year-old was escorted to the lanes by his wife, Judy, to receive a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin in honor of his dedication to participating in every tournament since his debut at the 1974 event in Indianapolis.
Jerome felt the nerves as he entered his 50th year of bowling the USBC Open Championships, and he believes the moment he experienced during his honorary march was everything he dreamed of and more.
“Once you get out there on the lanes, it finally hits you that this moment has arrived,” Jerome said. “It is such a fulfilling feeling.”
Of all the years he’s been attending the tournament, his moment for 50 years at South Point outshines any high scores or favorite host cities for the tournament.
“I have been thinking about this very moment since I got my 40th year in, and it might just be my favorite moment in my entire career at the Open Championships,” Jerome said. “You keep coming to this tournament and see the guys on the board each year reaching 50 years, and you just know it’s so much of your life’s dedication to this event.”
During his presentation, Jerome thanked his wife and God for allowing him to continue to bowl and make it to 50 years at the event.
In December of 2020, Jerome suffered a massive heart attack – termed as a widow maker – that nearly took his life.
“I was taking my wife and her friends to the airport one weekend and was planning on just staying the night at the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis to relax,” Jerome said. “Once I got checked in, I got settled into my room by noticed something was not feeling right and decided to give it a moment to see if the feeling I had subsided. Over the course of 5-10 minutes, the feeling got worse, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called the front desk and they sent up the in-house EMT. After discussing symptoms with the EMT, they immediately knew what was going on and called an ambulance to come and get me.
“I remember everything leading up to the moment getting into the ambulance. The last thing I heard was one of the EMTs say I was turning a little blue. My heart stopped twice – once on the way to the hospital and then another time at the hospital – but they were able to save my life, and I am forever thankful to the medical team that saved me.”
Jerome was able to recover from his heart attack after some extensive time off from bowling just in time to make his 47th appearance at the 2021 Open Championships in Las Vegas.
“It took some getting used to and gaining some strength back that year, but I was just thankful I was able to be alive, let alone bowl,” Jerome said. “Your life and your perspective on life definitely changes once something like this happens to you.”
Now that he’s reached 50 years at the Open Championships, Jerome plans on continuing to bowl if he can stay in good health.
“My wife has been such a big supporter of me bowling this tournament and continuing to bowl this tournament,” Jerome said. “With her support, and as long as I can stay mobile and healthy, I plan on bowling this tournament for many years to come. As you continue to get older, the scores become harder and harder to keep up there, but I still love the game and enjoy coming to the tournament.
Jerome finished his 50th appearance with steady sets of 466 in doubles, 458 in singles and 452 in team for an all-events score of 1,376. In 50 years on the tournament lanes, Jerome has knocked down 79,964 pins for a career average of 177.6.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 68-year-old was escorted to the lanes by his wife, Judy, to receive a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin in honor of his dedication to participating in every tournament since his debut at the 1974 event in Indianapolis.
Jerome felt the nerves as he entered his 50th year of bowling the USBC Open Championships, and he believes the moment he experienced during his honorary march was everything he dreamed of and more.
“Once you get out there on the lanes, it finally hits you that this moment has arrived,” Jerome said. “It is such a fulfilling feeling.”
Of all the years he’s been attending the tournament, his moment for 50 years at South Point outshines any high scores or favorite host cities for the tournament.
“I have been thinking about this very moment since I got my 40th year in, and it might just be my favorite moment in my entire career at the Open Championships,” Jerome said. “You keep coming to this tournament and see the guys on the board each year reaching 50 years, and you just know it’s so much of your life’s dedication to this event.”
During his presentation, Jerome thanked his wife and God for allowing him to continue to bowl and make it to 50 years at the event.
In December of 2020, Jerome suffered a massive heart attack – termed as a widow maker – that nearly took his life.
“I was taking my wife and her friends to the airport one weekend and was planning on just staying the night at the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis to relax,” Jerome said. “Once I got checked in, I got settled into my room by noticed something was not feeling right and decided to give it a moment to see if the feeling I had subsided. Over the course of 5-10 minutes, the feeling got worse, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called the front desk and they sent up the in-house EMT. After discussing symptoms with the EMT, they immediately knew what was going on and called an ambulance to come and get me.
“I remember everything leading up to the moment getting into the ambulance. The last thing I heard was one of the EMTs say I was turning a little blue. My heart stopped twice – once on the way to the hospital and then another time at the hospital – but they were able to save my life, and I am forever thankful to the medical team that saved me.”
Jerome was able to recover from his heart attack after some extensive time off from bowling just in time to make his 47th appearance at the 2021 Open Championships in Las Vegas.
“It took some getting used to and gaining some strength back that year, but I was just thankful I was able to be alive, let alone bowl,” Jerome said. “Your life and your perspective on life definitely changes once something like this happens to you.”
Now that he’s reached 50 years at the Open Championships, Jerome plans on continuing to bowl if he can stay in good health.
“My wife has been such a big supporter of me bowling this tournament and continuing to bowl this tournament,” Jerome said. “With her support, and as long as I can stay mobile and healthy, I plan on bowling this tournament for many years to come. As you continue to get older, the scores become harder and harder to keep up there, but I still love the game and enjoy coming to the tournament.
Jerome finished his 50th appearance with steady sets of 466 in doubles, 458 in singles and 452 in team for an all-events score of 1,376. In 50 years on the tournament lanes, Jerome has knocked down 79,964 pins for a career average of 177.6.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.